The last act of Premier Su: Taiwan recognises same-sex marriages of transnational couples

In a historic move, Taiwan has moved to recognise transnational same-sex couples from countries that do not recognise same-sex marriage.

On Friday, the government of Taiwan decided to recognise same-sex marriage between its citizens and their foreign partners, even if their partner’s country does not allow same-sex marriage, Kyodo news reported. The Interior Ministry notified the local governments about the change of interpretations. However, the new interpretation will not cover same-sex marriages involving people who belong to mainland China because of “procedural issues”. 

The Taiwanese administration was the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriages back in 2019. However, the 2019 law only allowed the Taiwanese to marry their same-sex partners who were also citizens of Taiwan. In the 2019 ruling, the Taiwanese government also allowed marriage between couples who belong to a country where same-sex marriage is legal. The new reform in the interpretation of Taiwanese law was rejoiced by many Taiwanese. 

Why did it happen? 

The new move by the Taiwanese administration came after numerous court rulings recongnised the marriages of same-sex transnational couples. According to Kyodo news, the courts in Taiwan called the rejection of such marriages unconstitutional. Among the countless ruling, the court upheld the marriage of a Taiwanese-Japanese couple. Their marriage registration was accepted in the capital of Taiwan, Taipei in September last year. According to Kyodo news, Japan is the only Group of Seven countries that hasn’t legalised same-sex marriage in the country. Following the announcement of the decision, a joint statement was released by several advocacy groups including the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, thanking Premier Su Tseng-chang for the reform. 

The move was the last act by Premier Su Tseng-chang, who gave out his resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen the very same day. According to Nikkei Asia, one of the President's spokespersons has revealed that the reshuffling of the Taiwanese cabinet is currently underway. While Taiwan is trying to liberalise its outlook towards same-sex marriage, its Asian neighbours still have a long way to go. While countries like Japan forbade same-sex marriage, China, in 2016, decided to prohibit the portrayal of homosexual relationships on TV. In August 2022, Singapore decided to decriminalise same-sex relationships, however, the country blocked the path toward same-sex marriage. While countries in the west are solidifying the institution of same-sex marriages, countries in the east are struggling to head towards the same road.